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Hello, I hope you can help: When I turn on my computer I get at least 2 warning popups that start off with this one "lsass.exe - Bad Image The application or DLL C:\WINDOWS\system32\towusozo.dll is not a valid Windows image. Please check this against your installation diskette." Then about 3 to 4 dozen other of these popups happen until I'm finally able to start doing anything. Also about 2 - 4 times on start up "Photo Gallery" tries to install. Below are all my logs, but is there a trick to GMER.exe? It was running on my computer for 3 DAYS and wouldn't stop, so I'm including what appears prior to hitting the Scan button that turned my laptop into a very expensive nightlight. Seriously though, if there is a box I should uncheck (besides the ones listed in the Preparation Guide) before hitting the scan button, please let me know and I will send you a new Ark.txt file. Thank you!

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Hello daemon88 Welcome to the BC HijackThis Log and Analysis forum. I will be assisting you in cleaning up your system.

I ask that you refrain from running tools other than those we suggest while we are cleaning up your computer. The reason for this is so we know what is going on with the machine at any time. Some programs can interfere with others and hamper the recovery process.

In the upper right hand corner of the topic you will see a button called Options. If you click on this in the drop-down menu you can choose Track this topic. By doing this and then choosing Immediate E-Mail notification and then clicking on Proceed you will be advised when we respond the your topic and facilitate the cleaning of your machine.

Please keep in mind that we have a large backlog of users just like yourself waiting to be helped so try to be as timely as possible in your replies. Since we do this on a part-time voluntary basis we are limited on how many logs we can respond to and keep open due to time restraints. If you have to be away or can't answer for some other reason just let me know. Thank you for your understanding.

After 5 days if a topic is not replied to we assume it has been abandoned and it is closed.

Disable your AntiVirus and AntiSpyware applications, usually via a right click on the System Tray icon. They may otherwise interfere with our tools. Instruction can be found HERE

Double click on ComboFix.exe & follow the prompts.

As part of it's process, ComboFix will check to see if the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console is installed. With malware infections being as they are today, it's strongly recommended to have this pre-installed on your machine before doing any malware removal. It will allow you to boot up into a special recovery/repair mode that will allow us to more easily help you should your computer have a problem after an attempted removal of malware.

Follow the prompts to allow ComboFix to download and install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console, and when prompted, agree to the End-User License Agreement to install the Microsoft Windows Recovery Console.

Hi... and YAY!!!! Thank you, thewall. The popups seem to have stopped, and so far this is easier (and more pleasant) than I thought it could be. I uninstalled AVG Firewall and the Windows firewall kicked in. ComboFix could not download the Recovery Console for some reason. But first/and now, here is the ComboFix.txt you told me to send. I'm looking forward to the next step...

The log that you posted does not look to be complete. Please check to see if some of it was cut off and repost it if it is. Be sure not to run ComboFix again until we get the Recovery Console installed. After I look at the log I will help you to accomplish that.

If I have helped you then please consider donating so I can continue the fight against malwareAll donations go directly to the helper

Due to the large amount of backlogs we have I cannot respond to PMs for help unless I am already working with you

The log that you posted does not look to be complete. Please check to see if some of it was cut off and repost it if it is. Be sure not to run ComboFix again until we get the Recovery Console installed. After I look at the log I will help you to accomplish that.

Hi again,Sorry to say but... I double-checked the ComboFix.txt file on my computer and could find no more than what I put in my previous post.

So I tried to run ComboFix again. I never got it to run on any of the 4 separate occasions I tried today. This was even after I turned off AdAware and after deleting the program's directory and the links to ComboFix in my C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch directory.

On two occasions I tried to get ComboFix.exe to run by clicking the icon to the file (on my Desktop) and got the following error message:"Error! Some files could not be created.Please close all applications, reboot Windows and restart this installation."

Despite shutting down and trying to run this again nothing ever happened. What am I doing wrong? What do I do next?

Notice what I posted in the last thread. Don't try to run CF anymore until we get the Recovery Console installed. This is for your protection should something go wrong.

First thing to do is delete the version of ComboFix you have from the Desktop and download another one from the link I provided below and follow the instructions to try and run CF again. If you are unsuccessful in installing the Recovery Console do not proceed with running CF.

With malware infections being as they are today, it's strongly recommended to have the Windows Recovery Console pre-installed on your machine before doing any malware removal.

The Windows Recovery Console will allow you to boot up into a special recovery (repair) mode. This allows us to more easily help you should your computer have a problem after an attempted removal of malware. It is a simple procedure that will only take a few moments of your time.

Did as you said. Downloaded the Windows Recovery Console, then ComboFix and put both on my Desktop. Disabled AntiVirus. When I drag the Windows Recovery Console setup package onto ComboFix, the ComboFix progress bar appears, but it disappears. Once it's gone nothing happens. Even after 30 minutes, nothing happens. There are no prompts and no End-User License Agreements. Nothing happens.

I've downloaded ComboFix from both links trying to get this to work. What do I do next?

You have some things we need to get off but I really would like to use ComboFix to do it. The ComboFix log shows that your AVG was still enabled even after you said you disabled it. This is not uncommon as some of these programs can reenable themselves.

Please go to the following link and read the instructions they have posted for disabling AVG 9.0. After you do so please disable it and then run another DDS log. I want to see what it shows in a subsequent run with regards to your AV.

Let's try once more installing the Recovery Console using the last instructions I gave you. Make sure you leave your AVG disabled and let's go ahead and disable Ad-Aware too while we are at it. Link is below.

I tried installing the Recovery Console using the last instructions you gave me. Downloaded ComboFix.exe from the link in your previous post, placed it on the Desktop, and pulled the Windows Recovery Console icon (also on my Desktop) over it. The ComboFix progress bar appeared, filled in, but disappeared. Nothing ever happened beyond that. I thought it just needed more time to run so I left the computer on overnight. When I checked it this morning I looked for a ComboFix.txt file but there was no evidence that the program had ever installed itself.

I did, however, create a DDS.txt file this morning before shutting down the computer. Therefore, it was created while all my anti-virus software was disabled. I will send it if you need it.

Incidentally, some program called Photo Gallery tries to install itself 3 times each time I start the computer. Also, the audio had been missing since my first attempt at running ComboFix.exe. The audio returned last night after disabling all anti-virus software.

The next thing we are going to have to try is uninstalling AVG temporarily. Of course after you do that you don't want to go browsing around the Internet until we get it reinstalled.

Once you have completed that reboot your computer and delete the copy of ComboFix(CF) you have on your Desktop and download a new one from the last link I gave you. After doing this try once again to drag and drop the RC into it.

If I have helped you then please consider donating so I can continue the fight against malwareAll donations go directly to the helper

Due to the large amount of backlogs we have I cannot respond to PMs for help unless I am already working with you